The Eagles' Nest

 Welcome back! We hope everyone had a great end of December and is settling back into the routine.

Bottle Drive! It’s here!
School Council Fundraising. The phrase carries with it fear of purchasing frozen cookie dough and wrapping paper. This school council fundraiser is different. We don’t want your money, and you don’t need to buy anything! The School Council of Earl Haig Public School wants what you have already purchased and consumed – your empty beer, wine and liquor bottles! Parent volunteers from the school will be in the parking lot of the Beer Store at 1270 Woodbine Ave (north of Mortimer) from 9 :00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. this Saturday January 9 to collect your empties and the deposit return fee. Clean up your home after the holidays and perform a good deed at the same time.

We still need volunteers to help out, especially from 11 – 1:00. If you can spare an hour (and the forecast is for 6 degrees, balmy!) please email us at earlhaigschoolcouncil|@gmail.com, drop by, or sign up at Volunteer Spot

Our next School Council meeting is Wednesday January 20 at 7:00. Curious about School Council but haven’t attended in the past? Wondering how to occupy your children during the meeting? Did you know that free childcare is available at every meeting?

Meet your School Council Childcare Providers
Dear Parents of Earl Haig,
I know it can be nerve-wracking to leave your child with someone who you haven’t had much interaction with before, hence this introduction. I hope it will encourage you to leave your children with us and enjoy the meetings without worry. My name is Kaitlin Haggert, I’m turning seventeen in the next few months, and have been babysitting children in the area (ages 6 months – 12 years) since I was eleven, so almost six years of experience.  I myself was a student at Earl Haig, from kindergarten to grade eight, and graduated three years ago.

Hello, my name is Jadan Cohen. I am in grade 11 and I go to Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. I have been looking after children at the parent council meetings for three years. I started going to school at Earl Haig in 2003 for kindergarten, and graduated in 2013 as the grade 8 class valedictorian. I have worked as a Babysitter for four years and this summer I worked at camp Quin Mo Lac, in Tweed Ontario, as an overnight camp counselor. As a camp counselor, it was my goal to give the kids the best summer camp experience they ever had! The summer before, I was a counselor in training (CIT). As a CIT I learned the do’s and don’ts of looking after children and earned my Bronze Medallion in life saving and care. In 2011, I became a certified Babysitter through Parks and Recreation at the Earl Beaty community center. Fun facts about me: I love to ski, I sing in the Men’s Choir at my school, and I used to have blue hair. Thank you very much.
– Jadan Cohen

Pupil Accommodation Review Meetings
Posted On behalf of Executive Superintendent Manon Gardner
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education released new guidelines for Pupil Accommodation Reviews and for Community Planning and Partnerships (formerly Facility Partnerships).  To adhere to the new guidelines, the Toronto District School Board must update its policies.

I am writing you because these two policies may be of interest to parents.  The Pupil Accommodation Review policy deals with the review of groups of schools with low enrolment that can potentially lead to school closures.  The Community Planning and Partnerships policy concerns potential partnerships with external organizations in operating schools that have unused space.  Both policies affect the use of schools and therefore affect students.

As part of our consultation process, we are seeking feedback from staff, parents, and community members.  We would appreciate if you could help us reach out to parents by sharing this email with parents at your school.

Feedback can be provided in different ways:

Sending written feedback to accommodationreviews@tdsb.on.ca by January 29, 2016  -OR-

Attending one of three public meetings listed below.
Monday January 18, 6 – 8 pm. Winston Churchill CI – Library
2239 Lawrence Avenue East, M1P 2P7
Tuesday January 19, 6 – 8 pm. TDSB Central Office – Committee Room A 5050 Yonge Street, M2N 5N8
Thursday January 21, 6 – 8 pm. Martingrove CI – Library 50 Winterton Drive, M9B 3G7

(The following documents are posted on the blog, look for TDSB Pupil Accommodation Reviews on the navigation menu)

• PowerPoint presentation providing background context and questions
• P068 Accommodation and Program Review draft policy for review and comments
• P076 Community Planning and Partnerships draft policy for review and comments

Thank you for your help in reaching out to parents in your school community.  If you have any questions, please send an email to accommodationreviews@tdsb.on.ca.

Regards,
Manon Gardner
Executive Superintendent
School Improvement/Operational Support
Toronto District School Board

Next School Council Meeting – Wednesday, January 20.

Coming up  – PA Day January 22
– Cultural Diversity Potluck, February 4 time TBD (usually 6 pm) all are welcome, bring your favourite dish for sharing.
– Cupcake Bake Sale and fundraiser February 11
– Family Day February 15

Stay in touch – You can get all sorts of updates via our Twitter account @EarlHaigCouncil and Facebook page http://on.fb.me/20yB1TH

Our muscle-bound crew of grade 4s loading the the truck with donations of food, socks, mittens and other goodies for Centre 55’s Share A Christmas Program.  Thank you to everyone who donated.

Bottle Drive

We’re optimistic that El Nino will hold and the weather will remain winter warm on Saturday, January 9th for our first ever bottle drive!  Save those holiday empties and bring them to The Beer Store at 1270 Woodbine Ave (north of Mortimer) between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.  We are looking for brave and hearty volunteers to receive and sort bottles in the parking lot from 9:30 (set up) to 1:00.  You can sign up at the VolunteerSpot sign up page or by emailing us directly at earlhaigschoolcouncil@gmail.com.  We will keep the shifts short but please dress for whatever the weather may be that day.

Happy Holidays!

School resumes Monday, January 4. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Festivus, or Time With Family we wish you a joyous holiday season.

Next School Council Meeting – Wednesday, January 20.

Stay in touch – You can get all sorts of updates via our Twitter account @EarlHaigCouncil and Facebook page http://on.fb.me/20yB1TH

Save the date – School Winter Concert!  Dec 10 at 6:30 in the gym. Please note that to accommodate the 150 kindergarten students in the school this year’s concert structure is a little different. The Kindergarten students will perform from 6 – 6:30, then there will be a brief intermission to allow the students and their families to leave the gym and head home if they so choose. In past years we have asked everyone to stay, but this year you have permission to head out. Grade 1 – 8 classes (room 19 & 21, 22, 26 Recorders and 27) along with the Earl Haig Singers, Glee Club, Ukelele Club and Band will take the spotlight from 6:45 – 8:00.

Check out the Lost and Found! 

Why not look for that missing mitten or shoe while at the Winter Concert? Newly labelled bins make the Lost and Found easier to navigate. Thanks to Ms. Shea and Mr. McLachlan for bringing order to chaos.

Supporting our Community

Visit the school’s front lobby and you will find a very special pine tree presented by the Earl Haig Public School Community and the Me to We Club. This holiday tree is the hub for our donations of much needed goods for Community Centre 55’s Annual Share a Christmas Programme.

The Centre is collecting items for four of their initiatives:

1. The Annual Food Drive: Please send pre-packaged foods in boxes, tins or bottles.
2. Teen Angel Programme: Teenaged children often get missed in our enthusiasm to give to the very young.  We hear that gift cards are high on the wishlist of teens!
3. Pet Lover’s Programme: Four legged, furry family members need our support too!  Pet food, treats and toys are greatly appreciated by pet owners in need.
4. Holiday Tree: Let’s help keep our neighbours comfy and cozy by donating new mittens, gloves, hats and scarves.

Donations will be accepted until Monday, December 14th.

Last call for QSP

Get those orders in, this is the last weekend for the official campaign! QSP sells virtual and paper magazines, excellent for reading, collages, and cutting up to illustrate school projects. The school code is 3721016.

Minions – Movie Night

Wow! Thank you to the intrepid organizing committee and ALL the students and their adults who attended the sold out showing of Minions. It was inspiring to see all the families streaming towards the school last Friday evening. Pizza and veggies were eaten, Sponge Bob prizes were won, and everyone had a great time. Stay tuned for more Movie Nights in 2016. (But one more time  – thank you to the organizers Nicole Lambe, Tamara Robertson, Andrea Szego and Andria Keen!!)

Fix Our Schools 

“Did you know that there is $15-billion of disrepair in Ontario’s public schools? This means schools with classrooms that are too hot or too cold, ceilings that are leaking, windows that need replacing and countless other repair items that aren’t visible until they become a problem. You won’t know a school boiler should have been replaced 4 years ago until it conks out in the middle of winter and school is closed!

With a new federal government that has promised increased funding for infrastructure, there is going to be new money flowing to Ontario. Fix Our Schools wants to ensure that public schools benefit from this new money.

So now is the right time to let our provincial government know that we want to see an increase in infrastructure investment in Ontario’s public schools!

If you are concerned about the state of disrepair in Ontario’s schools, please participate in the letter writing campaign launched by the Fix Our Schools campaign: http://us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=33ed0a98313433d8705b1afd3&id=47da554d03&e=22a5b0472a .  All you need to do is click the links, enter your local MPP’s email address, your name and your mailing address. Very easy!”

Thanks from Krista, Co-Founder – Fix Our Schools

Mr. Taylor: The King of Borden Ball

Going into Mr. Taylor’s grade 3 gym class the student’s enthusiasm for is clearly palpable as they all wiggle and squirm waiting for the announcements to be over so the gym class can start. It’s easy to see why Mr. Taylor is such a well-loved teacher. When asked what they think about Mr. Taylor, the students all shout to me that they love him, he is “fun”, “funny” and he “gives lots of parachute time”. 

Mr. Taylor has been teaching at Earl Haig for 7 years. His favourite sport to coach is track and field because it’s so diverse, but he loves coaching all the sports. While Mr. Taylor likes to win, his philosophy is to make sure everyone is included. “Winning is enjoyable” he says, but “it’s not the first goal”. His main emphases are teamwork, cooperation and sportsmanship over winning.

Originally from Scarborough, Mr. Taylor did his undergraduate degree at Trent University. He followed that up with degrees at Queens and OISE   for Education. He is currently doing an MA in International Education at Charles Sturt University (yes it’s Sturt, not Stuart – seriously) in Australia, hoping to maybe teach overseas one day, something I am sure his young sons Wes (age 6) and Mateo (age 3) would love. Secretly I am suspecting that Mr. Taylor really wants to go overseas so he can bring Borden Ball to the rest of the world. Go Mr. Taylor!

Next School Council Meeting – Wednesday, January 20.

Stay in touch – You can get all sorts of updates  via our Twitter account @EarlHaigCouncil  and Facebook page http://on.fb.me/20yB1TH